Hiding My Identity From My Husband - Chapter 33

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 33

03. The Plan

[Icon of High Society or righteous Hero? Charlot’s daring stand against a swarm of crocodiles!]
[Once again, a Hero! The legend of Charlot Courtney unfolds]

“Haha.”
I let out a hollow laugh at the newspaper article I’d found first thing in the morning.
Truth be told, I’d seen sensational headlines like this before, so I shouldn’t be this shocked.
What’s really absurd is the content of the article itself.

[With Charlot, we are safe!
Charlot has emerged as a Hero of aristocratic society amid a series of incidents, and she has astonished people once again.
(omitted)
Following this incident, a new sense of security is spreading among the nobility.
“As long as we are with Charlot, we are safe from the threats of terror and assassination!”
In fact, some nobles are now sending invitations even more actively in hopes of securing her attendance at their events, and those close to her wear a quiet sense of pride.
(omitted)
Some figures in High Society have begun calling this phenomenon a sign that “Charlot is no longer merely a noblewoman, but has become the guardian of aristocratic society itself.”

“Now, when attending a ball, we must concern ourselves not only with the dress code but also with ‘whether Charlot will be attending.'” – A certain noble gentleman

Just how far will the legend of Charlot extend?]

“Hah.”
I laughed.
“Hahaha.”
And laughed again.
I couldn’t bear the situation without laughing.
‘How did it come to this?’
A Hero, of all things.
Someone like me shouldn’t be called a Hero!
‘Everything that’s happened so far…….’
The hornet incident at the Floria Estate,
the ruffian incident at the Bayden Estate,
the assassination attempt at the Rockwood Estate,
and the incident where I saved Cecil Rosfeld’s nephew.
“…….”
Yes, four times over is certainly enough to be called a Hero.
But…….
‘I never intended for any of this!’
They were all coincidences!
I let out a deep sigh and crumpled the newspaper in my hands. My stomach churned, ached even.
This was likely because I had a nagging suspicion that this series of incidents weren’t mere coincidences, but rather the result of Catacl’s involvement.
‘This time too…….’
The child I’d rescued, Theo, had been holding a Biscuit in his hand.
It could have been the crocodile food distributed to visitors at the Crocodile Farm as a viewing experience, but the moment I caught its scent, I knew. It was no ordinary Biscuit.
‘Someone had smeared blood on it.’
The Biscuit reeked of blood, the putrid stench of entrails, and a very peculiar pheromone scent.
It was giving off a scent perfectly designed to lure crocodiles.
In other words, Theo’s attack at that time had been intentional.
When faced with the threat of a fatal accident, the noble patrons—the farm’s main customers—lodged such fierce protests that the Crocodile Farm was ultimately forced to close.
The moment I wondered who could have orchestrated such a thing, Catacl came to mind.
As someone already suspecting Catacl as the mastermind behind the previous incidents, I couldn’t help but entertain the thought that this too was ‘perhaps his doing.’
But then—why.
‘This is driving me mad.’
I ran my hands through my hair and exhaled deeply.
My thoughts were running in circles, and my stomach ached as if it might tear itself apart.
“Ugh…”
Thinking I should take some medicine, I reached for the bell pull to ask someone to bring me water.
Not long after, Mardi appeared.
“You called for me, miss?”
“Mm. Could you bring me some water? I think I need to take my Stomach Medicine.”
“Your stomach is bothering you? My goodness. Just one moment, please. I’ll fetch it right away!”
Mardi hurried off and returned just as quickly with water and the medicine.
I swallowed the pill in one gulp and sank into the sofa. Ah, my stomach.
“Are you all right, miss?”
Mardi asked in a worried voice. I forced a smile and waved my hand dismissively.
“It always passes. I’m fine.”
“But…”
Even after my reassurance, Mardi still looked at me with a troubled expression.
“Has something happened between you and the master?”
What?
“I haven’t seen the two of you together in some time, and I’ve been quite worried… and now you’re ill too. It troubles me even more.”
Hmm.
I scratched my cheek.
Mardi was right—lately, I had grown distant from Lu.

—He said he dislikes Charlot.

After that conversation, Lu hadn’t sought me out.
It was so thorough that I couldn’t even meet his eyes once, as though he were deliberately avoiding me.
I, too, found it awkward to see Lu after hearing such words, so I’d been trying my best not to pay too much attention to it…
But here was Mardi, asking this of all things.
I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
“Lu and I are fine. We’re just both busy, so it’s difficult to spend time together, that’s all.”
“You haven’t had a quarrel?”
A quarrel…

—I hate it so much I think I’m going mad.

It wasn’t really a quarrel—it was more like I was struck down in a one-sided attack.
No matter how much he dislikes me, to say it to my face like that.
‘I get hurt too, you know.’
That comment had gnawed at me until my stomach turned sour from the worry of it all.
‘That’s why my stomach hurts even more now.’
Which brought me to a question.
Why had Lu’s words wounded me so deeply?
Back in Catacl, I hadn’t cared much when people said they disliked me.
Nearly everyone—no, everyone—had hated me anyway.
But now… it was different somehow. This rejection hurt more than the one-sided hatred I’d faced before.
My chest felt heavy, and it ached with a dull throb.
‘I don’t understand why.’
Yet no matter how much I pondered it, I doubted an answer would come. So I let out a long sigh and forced myself to smile.
“Right. We haven’t quarreled. We’re just both busy. Sorry for worrying you over nothing.”
“Oh no! Please don’t apologize. It’s just that…”
Mardi spoke cautiously, glancing at my face.
“If anything troubles you, please tell me. Though I cannot solve your problems, I can listen to your concerns.”
I blinked slowly.
And I thought to myself:
Mardi truly is a good person.
Had I ever met anyone so genuinely kind in all my life?
So I spoke to her with all sincerity.
“Thank you.”
Of course, the “trouble” that had befallen me was something I could never tell her.

* * *

Late into the night.
The hour when all were asleep.
Confirming that the new moon hung askew in the sky, I carefully pushed the window open.
‘No one’s watching, right?’
Not that there was, say, Lura, or Lura, or Lura…….
Fortunately, clouds obscured the moon, and the night lay thick as fog—visibility barely an arm’s length ahead.
So even if Lura had been there, she couldn’t have spotted me.
That settled, I leaned forward quietly.
A three-story drop into open air—something an ordinary person wouldn’t dare attempt. But I was no ordinary person.
Tap!
I planted my foot on the sill and launched myself into the void.
Then I caught hold of a hackberry branch beyond the courtyard wall and somersaulted through the air.
Whoosh!
Hooking my legs over the branch, I scanned the surroundings once more.
‘All clear.’
Satisfied, I dropped to the ground.
“Phew.”
Catching my breath lightly, I quickened my pace.
Tonight was the night I was meant to meet Pinky.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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